Dreams and Reality
by Reckless150681
Summary: "Mitsuha, you're dreaming right now, aren't you?" Miyamizu Hitoha has been watching Mitsuha's behavior closely for the last month. She recognizes the behavioral disparity and changing personalities, but Mitsuha appears to have a special connection with her counterpart. Now Hitoha has to watch as Mitsuha deals with the emotional void left behind by her counterpart's sudden absence.
1. Dreams

**1\. Dreams**

" _Mitsuha, you're dreaming right now, aren't you?"_

Hitoha lethargically opened her eyes, blinking slowly to dispel the disorientation that comes with waking up in the morning. It was still early; the sun's rays filtered in through the windows, casting the room in a warm light. Perhaps she'd get more sleep were she to draw the curtains and block the light out, but a seventy-something-year-old habit becomes hard to break. Besides, she still had to set a good example for her granddaughters, both of whom tended to have problems starting the day at all, never mind at six in the morning.

She got up, groaning slightly as her bones and joints creaked and protested. It had become increasingly more difficult to get ready for the day, especially in recent years, but she was a Miyamizu: stubborn and steadfast in her beliefs. A little early-morning discomfort was nothing compared to the importance of the traditions that her family upheld.

She bundled her hair into a loose knot, not paying particular attention to how it fell or how it looked. Her vanity had all but vanished in her advanced age; tying her hair back now was solely in the name of practicality. Besides, it took energy to maintain an elaborate hairstyle, and only her granddaughters had that kind of energy.

She sighed. Her granddaughters. They'd been on her mind a lot lately, more so than usual. More specifically, the elder, Mitsuha. Her behavior lately had taken a drastic change about a month ago. One morning, she had woken up in complete bewilderment; hair a mess, skirt on backwards, and asking how to get to school. It certainly was strange, but Hitoha didn't pay it much mind once she was back to normal the next day.

It was the next week - and the next, and the next - where she started paying attention. Every few days, Mitsuha's entire personality would turn on its head. Most of the time she was the same sweet, compassionate young woman that had come to warm Hitoha's heart in the time since losing her husband and daughter, but several times a week she'd suddenly change, becoming distinctly more short-tempered and assertive.

Eventually, Hitoha figured it out. There had been something familiar in the two disparate temperaments - something that had brought up vague images of long-forgotten memories.

"So she's been dreaming," Hitoha murmured to herself, as she stepped lightly out of her room and headed towards the kitchen. Mitsuha - or whoever was in Mitsuha's body - had been shocked to learn of Hitoha's awareness of this sort of phenomenon when they were up on the crater. It certainly wasn't a common thing; the only sort of predictability Hitoha was aware of was in how almost every member of the Miyamizu line experienced it.

Hitoha sighed. It had been many years since her own dreams of someone else's life. She had long forgotten most of the details; only fleeting glimpses of a vast, silver metropolis remained. It was through this experience that she learned the meaning of _musubi_ \- of how certain interpersonal connections can transcend the boundaries of space and time, life and death.

Reaching the kitchen, she busied herself measuring out three servings of rice, pouring the dried grains in a bowl of water. Swirl, rinse. Strain. Soak. She set the bowl aside, sitting back on her heels in _seiza_. She returned her thoughts to her granddaughters.

All things considered, Mitsuha's life may have actually taken a turn for the better. According to Yotsuha, she's become much more popular in school since the dreams started, the other person using their athletic prowess and better assertion to attract her - them? - fans and admirers. Supposedly, she's been receiving numerous love letters, even from other girls.

 _But there's something more_ , Hitoha thought to herself. She could see it in Mitsuha's eyes, and in the ways her behavior became subtly more subdued as the days went on. There was some stronger bond between her and her counterpart than any other pair Hitoha had ever seen or known. In all the stories that her own mother and grandmother had passed down to her, in watching her daughter Futaba go through the same experience, never had any of them been so attached - so in _love_ \- with their companions.

Hitoha sighed again. That's a problem. The ephemeral nature of dreams means that almost nobody of the Miyamizu family remembers the most important details of their experiences: who the other person was. The emotions, though, remain. Hitoha worried that Mitsuha falling in love with her dream self would leave her with an emptiness in the soul when the memories fade while the sentiments remain, only to be filled upon meeting that person again.

 _Of course, it's not_ completely _impossible_. No, it certainly wasn't. Hitoha rarely remembered any of her normal day-to-day dreams, for instance, but sometimes visual or aural similarities in the world made those memories resurface, the brain reconnecting scattered points. It stood to reason, then, that the simple act of meeting this person again would allow Mitsuha - _Or rather,_ both _of them_ , she corrected herself - to remember the special bond they had.

 _Either way_ , she concluded, _it will hurt_. Yes, loss always hurts, even if one cannot remember who it was. When Mitsuha's experience inevitably ends, she will hurt - months, years, perhaps even decades to come. Depending on how deeply she falls for this person, she might never feel true happiness - true fulfillment - until meeting them again. _Musubi_ would ensure their reunion, but there was no guarantee it would happen within their lifetimes.

Hitoha finished her thoughts just as the house began to wake up behind her. She heard the sink run just a few seconds before Mitsuha's alarm went off, then the daily routine of Yotsuha barging into her older sister's room to fully drag her out of slumber before returning to the bathroom to finish brushing her teeth. Hitoha took this time to drain, rinse, and start drying the rice, letting the natural drying process remove excess moisture. Some twenty minutes later, as she started pouring the grains into boiling water, her grandchildren entered the dining area. She noticed the red ribbon in Mitsuha's hair. _It's her today_ , she noted, nodding slightly. The other person had no clue how Mitsuha did her hair, instead roughly tying it into a ponytail every time they switched bodies.

"Good morning," she greeted her granddaughters.

"Good morning," they chorused back. Mitsuha was unusually reserved today, keeping her gaze down as she helped set the table, but Hitoha caught a glimpse of redness in her eyes.

 _Crying?_ she wondered. _Perhaps some wistful thinking?_ She pretended not to notice. Mitsuha was the type to seek out help only if she really needed it; besides, there really wasn't anything Hitoha could do. Dealing with these exceptional dreams and their associated emotions was something only Mitsuha could do herself.

Instead, she asked the normal morning questions: did you sleep well, did you finish your homework, are your bags packed for school. She noted how Mitsuha tried to keep up a pretense of enthusiasm, but she could sense a brittle, fragile soul struck with heartache behind the façade.

Hitoha sighed internally. How unfortunate to find love in someone so elusive. She wasn't even sure if Mitsuha had even considered the possibility that she and her counterpart likely weren't even in the same timeline.

 _Perhaps I should have a talk with her._ Yes, perhaps. Maybe it would be better to nip this in the bud. It would hurt less now than if these feelings were allowed to blossom.

Hitoha dried the rice, serving a portion into each bowl. She'd really have to think about it while the girls were at school. How best to broach the subject? Should Yotsuha be there, lest she have these same experiences soon? What should she even say?

She shook her head. _Think about that later_. Right now was breakfast. The three took their places around the table.

" _Itadakimasu!_ "

* * *

After Hitoha had finished breakfast and sent the girls to school, she leaned over the sink, hand on her chin. She so engrossed herself in thinking that she almost missed the girls' conversation outside the window.

"...to Tokyo tonight."

 _...I need to explain to her how our family- what?_

"Huh? Why?"

Hitoha was suddenly hit with a sinking feeling. Mitsuha's next statement confirmed her worst suspicions.

"I have a date."

"What? You have a boyfriend?!"

 _Oh, no_. She intended to go see him - at least his gender was determined now - tonight. Hitoha shook her head. Love had turned Mitsuha irrational. As far as she was aware, Mitsuha had no real contact information to act on. It was as if she were relying on her ability to spot this boy in the entirety of Tokyo. Hitoha had hoped to break the news to Mitsuha in a more...controlled fashion, but that was now sadly out of the question. The only thing left would be to wait...and see.


	2. Reality

**2\. Reality**

Hitoha looked glumly out into the Tokyo cityline as she took a break from her _kumihimo_ braid-making. The city was pretty when it sparkled at night, but it had no sense of natural beauty. No sense of complete rest. She missed the mountainside, the springs, the woods. It had been eight years since the comet fell. Eight years since she lost her home of almost a century, and - more importantly - the culture that the Miyamizu family had long since guarded.

Not that it had changed too much about her personal values, though. She still got up at six every morning - much to Yotsuha's chagrin - and upheld Miyamizu traditions. Before she had turned ninety and become too weak to travel she had gone back to Itomori's location every so often to make a trip to the shrine atop the crater, bringing offerings to the gods. On the third anniversary of the comet's fall, she had noticed disturbances around the shrine and an empty _kuchikamisake_ flask, signs of the mysterious stranger that had saved Itomori and its inhabitants.

 _The crater...the shrine...has it been that long already?_ she mused. Eight years. Not an insignificant part of her life. She remembered that day very clearly, and for more than just the destruction of her home. That morning, she had looked up from the table to see a very confused and scared Yotsuha skipping breakfast, claiming Mitsuha had completely lost it. Hitoha had brought tea to the same Mitsuha, only to realize that someone else had possession of her body for the day - the same someone that Mitsuha had been swapping with for so long.

Hitoha wasn't entirely sure how to deal with him. Just the previous night, Mitsuha had returned from Tokyo, heartbroken and distraught, and without her signature red ribbon. Hitoha could only assume that her search had succeeded only to realize that it was the person at a different time. That night, she had cut her hair, unable to keep it all tied up without her ribbon.

But then, the stranger himself was here in front of Hitoha. He claimed that the comet was to split that night, killing almost everybody in the town. Hitoha clearly remembered sighing, informing him that nobody would ever believe it apart from her.

 _To think...one man changed my fate_. Yes, it was apparent from the way he so desperately and anxiously tried to galvanize the townspeople into action that the town had perished in his timeline, and he was trying to save us all - _to save Mitsuha_ , Hitoha corrected herself.

And he had succeeded. Shortly after twilight - after _kataware doki_ \- Mitsuha was returned to her body, and she had burst into the Miyamizu house with tears in her eyes, and her ribbon inexplicably returned. It was immediately clear to Hitoha that the stranger had succeeded in explaining his plan to Mitsuha and - astonishingly - had made physical contact across time, allowing the two to meet for the first time.

And the last. Mitsuha recounted how they were to write each other's names on the other's hands to not forget, but she never got the chance while he wrote "I love you" instead. A troubled Hitoha had told her then that the two would meet again, but refused to elaborate in the name of letting the universe run its course. In the years since, Mitsuha became convinced she was having a very vivid dream, despite her friends' testimonies of her strange behavior and the clearly drawn black ink on her palm. Her empty heart she attributed to losing her home, not realizing it was a person she was searching for.

Hitoha shook her head sadly. She knew _musubi_ would keep Mitsuha and this unknown man connected, but she couldn't bear to remind Mitsuha that it could take many years for that future to come to fruition. She sighed. _Time will tell_ , she told herself. _Someday._ Someday.

The lock jiggled behind her. She paid it no mind. It was late; it was probably Yotsuha returning home after a night out. Exams had just finished and she was out with her friends having fun, but she and Hitoha had plans to go out shopping tomorrow and would have to rise early for that.

But when the door swung open and the person in the hallway spoke, Hitoha almost felt her heart seize.

"...Grandma…"

She turned around in surprise. "Mitsuha? What are you doing here? I didn't expect you until next week."

Her elder granddaughter just nodded and wiped her eyes. It was then that she noticed the tears glistening in the moonlight and the broad smile on her face.

Her heart soared for her. Could it be…?

"You found him."

Mitsuha just nodded affirmation, laughing and crying as she vainly tried to keep the moisture out of her eyes.

"I found him, Grandma. ...And I understand, now."

"What do you understand?" Hitoha took Mitsuha to the living room couch, guiding her to one end. She kept one hand on Mitsuha's, gently rubbing it in encouragement.

" _Musubi_. I finally understand." Mitsuha closed her eyes, shaking slightly as elation seemed to leak out of her very being. "We remained connected, even across time and death. And-" she looked up "-I remember everything." There was wonder and awe in her gaze as she recalled those exceptional memories, and a reverence in her voice as she realized how the entire Miyamizu line always had these dreams.

"Has Yotsuha…?" She started, trailing off into a partial question.

Hitoha shook her head. "No. Not yet, but I'm keeping an eye on her."

Mitsuha nodded. Then, as the smile on her face slowly returned, she turned away in embarrassment. Hitoha laughed good-naturedly.

"What are you going to do next?"

"Next?" Mitsuha repeated. "What does it matter? Anything can happen, so long as we're never separated again." At that moment, Hitoha wasn't sure if Mitsuha's eyes were reflecting the lights of the city or if they were really sparkling.

She fell silent for a moment, then laughed again. "You were right, Grandma. We did meet again."

Hitoha just nodded. "You know he gifted you this future, right?"

Mitsuha bobbed her head in affirmation. "Yes. In our original fate, we perish from the comet. Seeing him again...brought back all of my memories. Including my old ones."

 _Ah. That was not expected_. Hitoha shook those thoughts away. The universe had run its course; Mitsuha had rediscovered her one true love, and her long years of empty searching were gone. Hitoha was truly happy for her granddaughter.

Mitsuha stood up suddenly, helping Hitoha to her feet. "I'm sorry, Grandma," she said apologetically. "I can't stay tonight. I only came to tell you this."

Hitoha waved it off. "Never mind. I know it's important to you. I'm sorry I never elaborated on how much I knew about these dreams. To be honest, it wasn't much more than what you did."

Mitsuha shook her head in response. "No, it's alright, Grandma. I don't think you could have helped me anyway - maybe only raised my hopes in vain. Besides," she said, her smile widening even further, "it all worked out in the end."

Hitoha nodded. _It did._ She walked Mitsuha to the door, embracing her tightly. Part of her was vaguely jealous for Mitsuha meeting her supernatural other, but the majority of her was elated to hear that her granddaughter's search was over. As she waved goodbye, she wondered where life would take them next.

 _Wherever it does_ , she thought to herself, _it'll take them together_.


	3. Author's Notes

_Your Name_ ( _Kimi no Na wa_ ) is perhaps the best anime film and one of the best animated features I've seen (if you haven't seen it yet, go watch it right now. Leave this page and go watch it. Go. Seriously. It's really good). It's even secured a place on my top films in general (live action, animated, or otherwise), and it's perhaps the only "short" feature (compared to TV shows that have multiple dozens of episodes) where I've become so helplessly attached to the characters. I won't go too much into the actual premise; you can read what I've written on my website (located in my profile). I've already talked enough about the ending. As of writing this I have been dealing with its emotional fallout for just about a week now. I've had time to process my own emotions and deal with my thoughts, so this fic is definitely less about coping with the film's emotional effects than my last one. What this _is_ about is trying to tailor the film's lore to my own satisfaction. Somehow, if something related to a fandom is written down, it becomes pseudo-canon because it feels more "official" than any sort of headcanons. I'm not trying to make the claim that my storytelling is somehow better than Makoto Shinkai's; no, _Your Name_ is a masterpiece in almost every sort of category I can think of. This fic, then, is my attempt to reconcile certain aspects of the film that to me should have been dealt with or spoken about to some degree within the fictional universe. In other words, it's my extension on what was likely to happen or what I would have liked to see happen; a headcanon of a headcanon, if you will.

 **About this fic:**

This fic takes the perspective of Miyamizu Hitoha, or Mitsuha's grandmother. Because the movie was quintessentially about the two protagonists and their connections, all other characters are given a sideline part. Therefore, unlike my previous fic, this is written in a third-person narrative. I also don't feel the urge to write this in the "right" way as I have in other fics, so this allows me the freedom to experiment with methods I'm not entirely familiar/comfortable with (in _Our Names_ , I mention how I'm a terrible creative writer). In terms of storytelling, it's split up into two parts: one before the night of the comet strike (but after Hitoha realizes Mitsuha's body-swapping), and the other immediately after _Our Names_.

 **Updates:**

January 5, 2017: Diction changes, minor edits to more accurately reflect the events of the film.


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